PEORIA — A panel of medical experts has given its approval to reports of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, bolstering the cause for his sainthood.

The seven-member board of experts that advises the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican gave its unanimous approval to the reported miracle, the foundation supporting the sainthood effort for the priest born in Woodford County announced Thursday.

The case involved a stillborn baby in September 2010 who demonstrated no signs of life for more than an hour as doctors worked over the child. The parents prayed and sought Sheen's intercession, and after 61 minutes the baby, now 3 and in good health, was revived.

Essentially the decision means that the experts can find no natural explanation for the baby's recovery. A board of theologians will now review the case, and if they give their approval as well the case could move on to the group of cardinals and bishops that advise Pope Francis on sainthood matters in order for them to make a recommendation to him.

The timeline for those next steps is unclear. However, if Pope Francis validates this miracle, Sheen would be declared "blessed" in a ceremony that could occur in Peoria. A further miracle would be required for Sheen to be raised to sainthood.

"Today is a significant step in the cause for the beatification and canonization of our beloved Fulton Sheen, a priest of Peoria and a son of the heartland who went on to change the world," Bishop Daniel Jenky, who is president of Sheen's sainthood foundation, said in a news release. "There are many more steps ahead and more prayers are needed. But today is a good reason to rejoice."

Sheen was born in 1895 in El Paso, but he grew up and attended Catholic schools in Peoria, where he was later ordained a priest. He served as a professor of philosophy and religion at the Catholic University of America, but is perhaps best known as a radio and television personality beginning in the 1930s. His program reached some 30 million viewers at its height.

The cause for his canonization has been ongoing since 2002. Further details are available on the website ArchbishopSheenCause.org.